


A Gryffindor & a Hufflepuff

by xswestallen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Hogwarts Fifth Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 15:41:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17124131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xswestallen/pseuds/xswestallen
Summary: Barry comes up with a plan to impress his longtime crush, Gryffindor student Iris West.





	A Gryffindor & a Hufflepuff

**Author's Note:**

> Barry is a Hufflepuff, Iris is a Gryffindor. Cisco and Caitlin are both Ravenclaws and prefects. All the characters are in 5th year. Also, I know at some point while working on this the line blurred between Caitlin and Cisco and Hermione and Ron.

“No magic in the corridors!”

Caitlin looked disapprovingly at Barry’s wand as she took her seat next to him and their other best friend, Cisco, who spoke up to correct Caitlin.

“This is the great hall, not a corridor.”

“The rule still applies.” Caitlin insisted.

“Does it?”

Barry rolled his eyes. He stuffed his wand back in his bag, ignoring his friends’ bickering over technicalities.

“I’m a prefect. I have to enforce the rules.” Caitlin was saying. “You should too.”

“I do, when they need enforcing. That rule is there to stop dueling. Barry wasn’t going to jinx anybody. He’s just practicing.” Cisco explained.

“For what?”

Cisco waggled his eyebrows and tapped Barry on the arm.

“Tell her.”

But, Barry might as well have been in another universe for all the attention he was paying Cisco and Caitlin. He was staring across the great hall, transfixed. Iris West had just walked in.

Ever since his first day at Hogwarts, September the 1st five years ago, Barry has been hopelessly in love with Iris. They’d met on the Hogwarts Express.

Barry was the last student to board the train, having nearly missed it. He clumsily walked down the aisle with his trunk, peaking into compartments but finding no empty seats.

He was starting to panic, when he heard the sweetest voice say, “You can come sit with me if you want.”

Barry turned to see a fellow first year student. She handed some change to the lady with the sweets trolly and then looked back at Barry.

“Do you want to?” She asked again.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Barry said.

The girl took a bite of the purple sugar quill she’d just bought and smiled at Barry with full cheeks. It calmed his anxiety and he smiled back.

She held out her hand.

“I’m Iris by the way.”

“Barry. It’s nice to meet you, Iris.”

From that moment on, Barry was smitten. Unfortunately, he and Iris were sorted into different houses later that night. Since Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors in their year didn’t share many classes together, Barry didn’t get many opportunities to spend time with Iris. When he did, he cherished it.

Iris was Barry’s favorite person to talk to. He didn’t make friends easily and he was often picked on by kids more popular than him for being a nerd. He thought maybe that’s why any time he got to be around Iris was special to him, because she was one of the most popular students at the school, but she was always so kind to him. She listened to him talk about whatever fascinating anomaly had peaked his interest that week. 

Iris had no shortage of friends. She was outgoing and charming in all the ways Barry wished he could be. People flocked to her, like she had some inherent magnetic field drawing them in. Barry knew he wasn’t the only person in Hogwarts covetting her attention. He figured that he was the least popular out of the lot.

Being in Hufflepuff didn’t help either. Not only did it mean he shared few classes with Iris, but many Gryffindors (and Slytherins) would laugh at Hufflepuff house, calling it the house you’re sorted into if the sorting hat has nowhere else to put you. Barry was proud to be a Hufflepuff, because he knew that house represented so many important values. But, the Hogwarts social hierarchy put all Hufflepuff at a disadvantage.

Iris was way out of his league. Barry’s reasonable side scolded himself for pinning for someone he had such a slim chance with, but he couldn’t stop the racing of his heartbeat whenever he saw Iris.

As Barry stared at Iris across the Great Hall, his heart was pounding. The noise of students chatting faded and the crowd of faces vanished. Barry felt like he and Iris were the only two people in the world.

Cisco snapped his fingers in front of Barry’s face.

“Man, I said tell her, not show her.”

Barry came back to his senses.

“Wha?”

Caitlin hid her smirk with her cup of tea.

“Oh, so you’re going to do something stupid to try and impress Iris?”

“It’s not stupid.” Barry scoffed. “It’s romantic.”

He took his wand back out and performed the conjuring spell. Four long stemmed, but wilted roses appeared.

“I see why you have to keep practicing.” Caitlin noted.

Barry slammed his wand down on the table in frustration. He’d been practicing for a week and hadn’t managed to conjure fresh flowers yet.

Cisco put his hand on Barry’s shoulder.

“Hey, it’s alright, man. Dead flowers aren’t so bad. You could just tell Iris you meant to conjure them like that, because you want to grow old and shrivel up with her.”

Caitlin breathed a laugh.

“That might be coming on a little strong.”

Barry sighed. He put his head down on the table.

“This is stupid. Even if get the spell right, it won’t be enough to make Iris like me like that.”

“How do you know?” Caitlin asked. “If you just tell Iris how you feel-”

“No!” Barry cut Caitlin off.

Caitlin looked pleadingly at Cisco.

“Sorry, I’m with Barry on this.” Cisco said. “He has to go big or go home. Iris is a Gryffindor, you know how showboaty they are. Barry can’t just profess his undying love all casual, he has to do something to show it.”

Caitlin frowned.

“You know Iris isn’t like that. She cares about what’s in people’s hearts, not their proficiency at floral charms. You don’t have to show off. Honestly, if you merely gave her a cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream, she’d be eternally grateful.”

Remembering that mint chocolate chip ice cream was ineed Iris’ favorite food from a conversation they’d had a few years ago, Barry lifted his head and looked at Caitlin.

“How would you know so much about Iris all of a sudden?”

“I’ve been studying for the arithmancy final with her.” Caitlin said like it was no big deal.

Barry’s eyes lit up.

“What?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because, I knew you’d flip out and try to use the situation as a way to get with her, and I just wanted a study partner.”

Barry gazed back at Iris.

In a smug voice, Caitlin reminded Barry, “I told you when we picked our elections, you should’ve signed up for arithmancy.”

“Arithmancy is the worst.” Cisco mumbled, mouth full of food.

“It’s actually very interesting.” Caitlin defended. “But, this final is supposed to be very difficult. Another reason I wasn’t telling Barry how I study with Iris. We have enough distractions as it is, with Peeves flying around, knocking things over, stealing our books, and coming up with asinine songs to sing. He’s a menace to the entire library.”

Peeves was the castle’s resident poltergeist. All the students hate him, but they couldn’t do anything about his increasingly annoying hijinks because the banishing spell for a poltergeist was too complicated.

Barry suddenly smiled.

“That’s it!” He proclaimed.

Cisco, who’d been about to take another bite of food, stopped and a bit of mashed potatoes fell off his fork.

“What’s it?”

“When Caitlin and Iris are studying and Peeves makes a scene, I’ll show up and banish him.” Barry explained. “Iris will surely be impressed. The whole school will be when hear that I got rid of Peeves.”

Caitlin rolled her eyes.

“Even if you could master the banishing spell, are you sure that’s how you want to get Iris interested in you?”

“Of course. When I stand up to Peeves I’ll be proving to Iris how brave and chivalrous I am.”

Cisco high-fived Barry.

“No Gryffindor could resist.”

Caitlin sipped her pumpkin juice in quiet skepticism.

The next week, in the library, Barry peered around a bookshelf to watch as Iris came and sat down at a table next to Caitlin.

“Do you think this final is going to be as bad as everyone says?” Iris asked. She looked nervous.

Caitlin pulled her number charts out of her bag and spread them out.

“We better prepare for the worst.”

“God, I hope Peeves doesn’t show up here again. We have enough to worry about.” Iris sighed.

Barry smirked. He felt confident he’d be taking care of the Peeves problem for Iris. Every spare moment he had over the last week was dedicated to practising the banishing spell, which Barry found he had quite a nach for. He’d banished half the furniture in his dorm room (something he’d apologize to his roomates for later).

Iris and Caitlin chatted and studied for a few minutes with no sign of Peeves. Barry felt his stomach fill with butterflies as he watched Iris. She had this way about her. Even the most mundane things she did, like turning the pages of her textbook, were beautiful. Barry noted how she’d scrunch up her nose when reading a difficult question and how she’d tap her quill to the tune of a Weird Sisters song when she was deep in thought.

Iris leaned in closer to Caitlin, pointing to something on her paper.

“Which statistic did you-”

Whatever Iris asking was lost, because everyone’s attention immediately turned to the book that was soaring across the library, only to hit Eddie Thawne in the back of the head. Eddie stumbled and had to catch his balance by grabbing onto a nearby chair.

“Who threw that?” He demanded.

A high-pitch, maniacal laugh resounded. Rising from between bookshelves and levitating into the air, was Peeves.

“Hahaha. Oh, don’t look at me like that, Thawny-hony. I was doing you a favor. You said you needed a book on goblins. I deliver it to you, free of charge.” Peeves taunted.

He gave a little bow. The shit-eating grin on his face made all of the occupants of the library scowl. Eddie picked up the book and threw it right back at Peeves.

Eddie was a chaser on the Gryffindor quidditch team and had excellent aim. Unfortunately, Peeves had the power of invisibility. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!” The disembodied voice of Peeves blabbered.

Barry looked at Iris. She slammed her quill down and stood up.

“That’s enough.” She asserted. “Get out of here, Peeves.”

The poltergeist rematerialized next to Iris.

“Uh-oh! Are you not enjoying my company? You are all so dull, you could put me to sleep.”

Peeves pushed all of Iris and Caitlin’s study material off their table and laid down on it.

“PEEVES!” Iris cried, disgusted.

Anger and adrenaline rushing through him, Barry sprung out from where he’d been watching. His wand was drawn and his eyes fixed on Peeves.

“She said, that was enough.” Barry said sternly.

Peeves waved off Barry’s reminder.

“She says a lot of things, I don’t listen to most.”

Barry grit his teeth.

“You better listen to this.” He warned Peeves.

“Oh, do tell, Allen. What do you have to say?” Peeves sneered. He rolled over onto his stomach and supported his chin with his hands.

“You’ve harassed the students of Hogwarts for too long. The teachers aren’t allowed to do anything, the students don’t know how, so you’ve gotten away with it, but that ends now.”

Peeves examined his fingernails, looking bored. Barry’s eyes slipped from the nuance laying on the table in front of him, to Iris, who looked hopefully at him.

“I’m going to banish you.” Barry announced.

Peeves roared with laughter. He rose off the table, floating into the air.

“You? Banish me? I will hand it to you, Allen, you can tell a joke. That was so funny, you’re making me choke.”

“SHUT UP!” Barry yelled.

He climbed atop the table to get closer to Peeves.

Peeves fell silent. He narrowed his eyes at Barry, who, for a second, was worried Peeves was about to charge at him. But, Peeves spread his arms wide and hung still in the air.

“Give it your best shot.”

Barry felt the eyes of everyone in the library on him. His wand felt slippery in his sweaty palms. He glanced at Iris, who was watching with bated breath. For her, Barry gathered his confidence.

Barry pointed his wand at Peeves and said the incantation, “Depulso!”

Nothing happened.

Barry flicked his hand and tried a second time.

“Depulso!”

Nothing.

Peeves looked down at his own body.

“Still here.” He said flatly.

Whispers rang in Barry’s ear. He knew his fellow students were doubting him now.

“Depulso! Depulso! Depulso!” Barry shouted over and over.

Peeves cackled and sang,

“Oh wee Barry Allen said he’d banished ol’ me, but here I am. What a bad plan! He’s a liar, more foolish than Fat Friar!”

“SHUT UP!” Barry yelled again.

Peeves kept singing,

“I’m teacher now, here is your lesson: if you’re a liar, liar, and with Peeves you’re messin’, I will set your pants on fire!”

Barry’s trousers burst into flames. He yelped in pain. Some of the onlooking students laughed, others moved away from him in fear they’d catch fire.

Barry clumsily jumped off the table and landed with a thud. He rolled around on the carpet, trying to extinguish the flames. It wasn’t working. Scared and humiliated, Barry felt like he was in Hell, being consumed by flames and those around finding humor in his suffering. It seemed like an eternity of painful burning and taunting. Barry was making himself dizzy from rolling.

“AGUAMENTI!” Someone shouted.

A jet of cool water hit Barry and the flames were extinguished.

He stumbled to his feet and saw Iris standing in front of him, her wand drawn, having cast the charm that put the fire out. She opened her mouth to speak, but Barry blew past her.

Huffing for breath, Barry ran as fast as he could away from the scene. The jeers of Peeves and other students echoed down the corridor. He had never been more humiliated. Not only were his chances of impressing Iris gone, but now he’d surely ruined their friendship, making himself look so stupid that she’d never want to speak to him again. Nobody in the entire school would.

When Barry reached the refuge of his dorm room, he slammed the door closed, locked him, and crawled under the covers, intent on never showing his face again.

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

Cisco sat on the side of Barry’s bed, trying to console his best friend.

“It was.” Barry mumbled from under his comforter.

“Nobody’s even talking about it anymore. They’ve moved on. Yesterday, Seamus Finnigan accidently conjured a tarantula and wet his pants.” Cisco recounted. “It’s him who should be hiding up here.”

“When people see my face, it will remind them.”

“Ugh, Barry, you can’t live under this blanket forever. How are you ever going to get a date?”

“My chances of ever getting a date are the same here as they would be if I went out in public.” Barry sighed.

“You’re going to fail all your classes. You already missed two days, you can’t miss another.” Cisco insisted.

Cisco ripped the cover off, grabbed Barry from under the arms, and dragged him out of the bed.

“No.” Barry groaned in protest.

“Yes. Come on, we don’t want to miss breakfast.”

Barry survived classes that day by avoiding eye contact with everyone. He’d pack his things before class was dismissed and the second it was, he’d run out of that classroom and into the next, to ensure he wouldn’t have to talk to anybody. So far, so good, though, Barry still would’ve liked to have an invisibility cloak.

After leaving his last class, Barry planned on running straight to his dorm room. He was halfway across the castle when he saw Tony Woodward and Vincent Crabbe, two 5th years, had a 1st year cornered.

“Looks like you were born to take a beating.” Woodward laughed.

Barry, knowing all too well what being that 1st year was like, couldn’t just walk away.

“Leave him alone, Woodward.” Barry commanded.

Woodward and Crabbe turned around. Their faces lit up with glee.

“Well, if it isn’t, Allen. What are you gonna do? Banish us?” Woodward teased.

“Is your rump still burned from the fire?” Crabbe asked in mock concern.

Woodward nugged Crabbe on the arm and said, “I bet that’s not all that was burned.”

Crabbe laughed and added, “Not that he would’ve had much to begin with!”

Barry kept looking at the 1st year, who was shaking with fear.

“Clearly I’m more fun for you to pick on.” Barry said. “So let the kid go.”

“Not our new friend. We can’t say goodbye yet.” Woodward pouted.

“Let. Him. Go.”

“Make me.”

Barry ran towards Woodward and Crabbe. He knew he was fighting a losing battle. There was no way he could go up against just one of them, let alone both. But, at least, it gave the 1st year student a chance to escape.

Woodward and Crabbe strode off with smiles, bragging to each other about how well they’d just done in the fight. Barry was left in the corridor, snorting bat-bogeys out of his nose. He’d just gotten a large, gross one out when he saw Iris peaking at him from around the corner.

Her voice shook, “Barry?”

He couldn’t believe his misfortune.

“How long have you been standing there?” Barry asked, scared of the answer.

“A long time.”

Barry sighed, “That’s just great.”

He was too tired to run. He supposing that since Iris had now seen him humiliate himself in the library and get his ass handed to him by Woodward and Crabbe, it couldn’t get any worse. There was no point in hiding, hoping she’d forget.

Iris knelt down beside Barry. She handed him a tissue from her bag.

“Thanks.” He said, shocked she would get this close to him.

“Where have you been the past couple of days? I’ve been looking for you.”

Barry furrowed his brows.

“Why? Need something to light a match off?”

Iris didn’t laugh at him like Barry assumed she would. She looked hurt.

“Barry, I was worried about you.”

“You were?”

“Of course! You’re my friend.”

“I didn’t think you cared that much.” Barry admitted. When he realized how that sounded, he went on, “I didn’t think anyone cared that much about me.”

“I do.” Iris assured him. She put her arm around Barry. “What did I ever do to make you think I wouldn’t care?”

“I guess… nothing. It’s just that… you’re Iris West!”

Iris smiled but looked confused.

“Yes, that is my name.”

“You’re popular, and so pretty, smart, and fun. And, everybody likes you. You could be friends with anybody in school, so I just didn’t think you’d pick me.”

“Why not? You’re Barry Allen! You’re so smart, and nice, and thoughtful. And, you’re very cute.”

Barry blushed.

Iris went on, “You mean a lot to me, Barry. You have since we met on our first day of school.”

Barry smiled.

“I think about that day all the time. How lucky I was to have to met you and how, from the second I did, I’ve never stopped thinking about you. Then, we got sorted into different houses. I’m a Hufflepuff and you’re a Gryffindor.”

“What does that matter?” Iris asked.

“I guess we value different thing. You want someone who’s daring and courageous. But, I’m just-”

Iris finished Barry’s sentence for him.

“You’re just the most fair, hardworking, and kindest person I’ve ever met. Not to mention, daring and courageous.”

“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”

“It’s not a lie.” Iris said earnestly. “I mean it. The way you stood up to Peeves in the library, or just now when you took on Tony and Vincent to help that kid, was amazing.”

“I got pummeled both times.” Barry reminded her, gesturing to his swollen post-bat-bogey hex nose.

“Yeah, but after the first time, you still stood up for what’s right the second. That’s real courage.”

The setting sun gleamed in through the window, making Iris’ eyes sparkle and her skin glow. She looked more beautiful than ever. Barry felt his heart pounding.

“I love you, Iris.” He whispered.

She smiled.

“I love you, Barry.”

Iris moved forward and so did Barry. He caressed her cheek and tilted her head slightly, so he could kiss her. Iris opened her mouth and welcomed him in. For a glorious minute, they were one.

When it was over, Barry blinked, blinded by the sun in his eyes. He worried it had been a dream. To his delight, Iris was still there beside him.

“I love you, Iris.”

She giggled.

“You said that already.

“I’m feeling brave enough to say it a lot more.”


End file.
